Observation
by The Writer Forever
Summary: Mary and Chris story.


**This is the first M7 fanfiction that I ever wrote. I am quite new to Magnificent seven series, but thanks to my lovely friends Aida and Selma, I have discovered the magic of M7 and this story is result of it!**

**Reviews would be very appreciated and encouraging. So, thanks in forward for each line you drop to me about this story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to "Magnificent Seven".**

**Observation**

An unknown bird's singing snapped Mary out from her dream. At first, she was confused and felt a bit lost, not knowing where is she.

Abruptly, she picked her head from her hands where it has been resting and that movement caused her to wince from a slight pain in her neck. As she gently massaged the painful spot, her sight and mind cleared a bit more and she huffed in frustration. Once again, she fell asleep working.

Slowly getting up, Mary tried to tide the mess on her writing desk. Her glance fell on the clock and she noticed that it is nearly four 'o' clock in the morning. Letting out frustrated sigh, she decided against tiding and went toward the doors of Billy's room to check on her son.

Slowly, her hand pressed the doorknob and she opened the doors, trying to be as quiet as possible so that she doesn't wake her little son up. A frown of worry about Billy was very visible on her forehead as she still remembered her child's struggling over his comeback to the Four Corners. Ever since that morning when she woke up to find Billy missing, Mary barely slept at all. Fear that her soon will escape again terrified Mary and she spent nights and nights working on new edition of "The Clarion News" to keep herself awake…

Her facial expression softened a bit with a flinch of a peace flowing across it at the sight of Billy sleeping peacefully in his bed. No sweat on his forehead that awful nightmares of witnessing his Father's death would cause… There weren't there for weeks now. And they certainly weren't there tonight. Her son slept peacefully now, bright sunshine of life was coming back into Mary's little bundle of joy and the fear on his face and in his heart was gone forever and was replaced with what child of his ages should wear – smile. Yes, he was coming back, he was again that adorable, darling little boy who ran through the house playing and pulled his Mum along with him, yelling impatiently: "Come on, Mum! I wanna show you something!" Each time when she would see her son like that, Mary's heart would happily jump. Her child was living again.

Mary fixed the blanket on asleep boy and gently caressed Billy's soft hair. As her eyes went away from her son, she noticed something white on the cupboard.

Warm tears filled Mary's eyes as she recognized the toy… carved toy.

Carved horse that Chris gave to Billy.

Her shaking fingers caressed the carefully carved horse, her sight going blur from the tears…

She could still remember that day vividly, day when Billy came back to the Four Corners. He hid behind her whoever would approach to greet him. He was silent, too silent for a kid of his ages. She knew back than that the consequences will be there for a long time, if not even permanently… Billy saw his Father getting killed, and no matter the time that had passed by, no matter that the child was away from the home, the place where he witnessed the terrible lost of his parent – the pain and the fear didn't abandon little boy.

As her fingers absently caressed the carved horse that laid on her palm, Mary remembered how she crossed the street to get some sandwiches from the store – and how she turned around to see her son standing next to Chris Larabee… She watched as gunslinger looked at the boy and told him something… Than handing him carved horse… She could still feel the happiness she felt back than when she saw a smile on her little son's face. After such a long time, he smiled again.

She could still feel the fear that captured her heart as she saw Billy standing nailed to the ground in front of galloping horses. Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered the panic she felt as she ran and screamed out her son's name. Next thing she saw was Chris Larabee saving her little boy's life…

Her fingers closed around small carved horse as she quickly left Billy's room so she would not wake him up. Closing the doors, Mary let her tears fall down freely.

Few minutes passed before she walked across the room and opened the doors of "The Clarion News" and stepped at the threshold. It was peaceful outside, no sound to be heard as the whole town was still sleeping, nobody on the street except for her.

Mary gazed to the sky, searching for the stars, but there weren't any. Night was cloudy and chill and few minutes later, Mary felt the coldness reaching her skin through the thin material of her blouse. She rubbed her palms up and down her arms to keep herself warm, not wanting to go back inside to get a coat or a shall. A feeling of a carved horse that she still held in her palm made her eyes fill with tears again as she shivered.

A click – sound of the boots that suddenly reached her ears made Mary flinch and gasp in fear, dropping the toy. Turning around in panic, she noticed Chris coming slowly toward her.

"Mary?", she heard his voice and all of a sudden, she felt the coldness abandoning her body… only to be replaced by the warmth.

It took a moment or two for Mary to compose herself and she smiled nervously.

"You've startled me, Mr. Larabee", she watched as he came closer by every step, the sound of his boots so recognizable… and so dear to her.

For few longs seconds, his eyes locked with hers, his face unreadable to Mary as she couldn't divide him well enough from the darkness he appeared from. She, however, stood in front of the threshold, under the gentle light of a lamp and could swear that her cheeks got a nice shade of red – and that Chris could see it.

"You've dropped something", was the next he said and Mary was puzzled at first… Than panicked.

"Oh, it's a…", she tried to bend down to pick up the toy – but, Chris was faster.

She watched as he straightened up, his eyes set on a toy in his palm – only to move to meet Mary's eyes again.

And she, again, felt her blood boil. His eyes were intensively set on her face, his piercing gaze reaching out to the most hidden parts of her heart and soul. She couldn't move.

"I picked it up from Billy's cupboard. He keeps it with himself all the time", she rambled, nervous smile playing around her lips. Looking away, she mumbled "I forgot to put it away."

"You okay?", was his reply and it caught Mary off the guard when she heard so much warmth and concern in his tone of voice. She nodded, still not looking at him, few shivers creeping up her spine and unconsciously, she rubbed her palms across her arms once again.

And than suddenly… she felt something warm hugging her shoulders. Slightly flinching, she looked down only to see the black material of a coat on her shoulders.

"You're shivering", she heard Chris' silent voice and became aware of his palms resting on her shoulders as he wrapped her coat around her.

She felt the lump in her throat and her sight started to get blur as the tears burned in her eyes again. In next moment, she burst to tears – causing Chris to get even more worried.

His strong arms encircled her in a safe, protective hug and she closed her eyes, leaning her face on his chest, sobbing.

"Ssssshhhh", he whispered, his hand gently caressing her golden hair, allowing her to cry it all out.

It took several minutes for Mary to calm down and she pulled herself away from Chris' embrace, even though she didn't want to. And that realization frightened her more than anything.

How did this happen? How did she allow to herself to fall for Chris knowing that it could never work out, that he could never see her that way? How?

"Mary, what happened?", she heard his question.

Collecting all the strength she had in herself, Mary turned to look back at Chris, even managing to flash a small smile.

"Nothing, I'm fine, really. Just can't sleep and than I am a bit… moody."

His eyes showed that he didn't believe her a word she had just said, but Mary couldn't stand his intense stare again.

"But, I think that I will go in now. Good night", she silently tried to escape the further conversation which would, undoubtedly discover her emotions. She tired to reach the doors…

But, just as she was about to press the doorknob, she felt Chris' palm on her wrist… stopping her in her tracks.

"Mary, what's wrong?", he asked her. Determinedly.

Last few weeks, Chris was deadly worried for Mary. He watched as she would open the office of "The Clarion News" in the morning and closed them in the evening. His eyes didn't miss the black circles that lay under her beautiful eyes for days. She just wasn't the same. She moved mechanically, did things like a robot, sometimes he caught her barely standing on her feet or keeping her eyes open… Like that day in Mrs. Potter's store when him and Nathan went to buy some groceries – Mary was there, staring into space. It took three calls from Nathan before she turned around.

He was worried for her. Deadly worried. He tried to understand what was on her mind that tortured her so much. She didn't speak, of course. By that question, she was very much like him. But, this had gone too far. He knew that Billy was okay, more than okay, he spent days and days with Mary's son fishing, hunting – even talking. The kid was recovering, coming back to life.

But, Mary… Mary was sinking down.

And Chris couldn't stand to watch it. To watch that beautiful, amazing woman falling into the darkness. He had been there, he knew how is it like to be drawn deeply in the darkness – and he certainly didn't want for Mary to experience that. Not Mary. Not the light that pulled him out his darkness.

"You can tell me, Mary", he tried again, still holding her wrist gently.

He watched as her chin shivered under the attack of new tears. But, before he could even move to comfort her, she started to talk, her voice broken by the tears:

"I can't sleep for nights, I am afraid to fall asleep although I know that Billy is fine now. I am afraid that I will wake up and find him missing again…"

"You mean… you didn't slept at all since that day?", Chris's forehead wrinkled with deep worry "Mary…"

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I know that my son is safe now, that Steven's murderer paid for what he did to my family", she coughed from strong sobs that shook her throat "Yet, I can't relax, I can't overcome that fear, Chris. Even during the day", her voice drifted away in tears.

"I would never let anything happen to you or to Billy", those words were out before Chris even realized that he said them.

And Mary was crying so hard that she didn't even realize what did he just say to her… Just kept on rambling:

"You saved my son, Chris. Not only from those horses, but from his worst nightmare. You talked to him even though it hurt you. My son healed – because of you. He's that adorable, darling, most loveable little boy he was before Steven's death. He is smiling again, laughing again, living again… All thanks to you", she looked up to Chris' eyes and the next words were out before Mary could control her emotions "And I am scared what will happen if one day you're not here."

That last sentence lightened a sparkle in Chris' eyes and he moved. He made a step closer, reaching with his hands toward Mary's cheeks that were wet from tears. Cupping her face, staring deeply in her eyes, Chris leaned down… Placing a soft kiss on Mary's lips.

Silent gasp escaped Mary's mouth accompanied by a soft moan as Chris' thumbs gently wiped her tears away. She moved her hands toward his neck, hugging him, returning a kiss with all love she felt toward him…

His lips slowly parted away from her lips and he whispered:

"I'll always be here for you and Billy, Mary", he gently kissed her forehead and than placed his lips again on Mary's lips, more passionately this time. As she returned the kiss, he picked her up in his arms and slowly entered "The Clarion News" office.

And as the doors closed behind Mary and Chris, Ezra poked stunned JD in ribs. As the youngest of the seven lawmen looked at Ezra, his mouth still wide – opened, the gambler simply said:

"I believe it's a pay time, Mister Dunne", as young sheriff slowly pulled money from his pocket, Ezra took it, very content smile washing over his lips "Thank you, very much, Mister Dunne. I've always respect a man who deals so good with losing a bet."


End file.
